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Lena Waithe, Writer & Actor

Lena Waithe made history in 2017 when she became the first African-American woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Writing for “Master of None.” How she went from sitcom-obsessed kid to sought-after writer and actor is TV-show worthy and proof that busting your butt for what you want pays off big time.

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Lena Waithe

Writer & Actor

Lena Waithe made history in 2017 when she became the first African-American woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Writing for “Master of None.” How she went from sitcom-obsessed kid to sought-after writer and actor is TV-show worthy and proof that busting your butt for what you want pays off big time.

Why She’s a MAKER: She’s one of the new generation of Hollywood creators bringing more diverse perspectives to our screens and surfacing the stories of people left too long on the entertainment sidelines. As a writer and actor her focus is on what’s human and humorous, and for that, we see more Emmy’s in her future.

Fearless Females: Waithe grew up on Chicago’s South Side in a house full of women—her mother, grandmother, sister. “There was a similar thing they all had: which was a lot of strength, a lot of pride, a lot of integrity, and a nice amount of sass and swag.” Her new Showtime series, “The Chi,” celebrates growing up in her old neighborhood.

Dream Jobs: After graduating from a writing program, Waithe’s first jobs in L.A. were with heavy-hitters Mara Brock Akil, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Ava DuVernay. “The chance to work with all these talented black women who were just sort of playing hacky sack with me for a couple of years, I definitely think was a divine order.”

Super Powers: In 2015, Waithe joined “Master of None” as a writer and actor, and co-wrote the “Thanksgiving” episode based on her own coming out story. It made her the first African-American woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy writing. “I do think the things that make me different are my superpowers, because there is no ‘Thanksgiving’ episode if I wasn’t born black, gay, and female.”

All In: “I think there’s a lot of storytellers who don’t look like the storytellers of yesteryear. A lot of young, black, queer, different people that have never been a part of the culture in a mainstream way. That’s the way I want to change the business, by helping to usher in new voices. Until everyone’s in the room, we still have a lot of work to do.”

LENA WAITHE: When you're an artist and you're making whatever it is you're making, I think the mission is to walk to it as vulnerable as possible, so that somebody will be able to connect to it.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LENA WAITHE: I grew up on the south side of Chicago. I was in a house full of women. It was my mother, my grandmother, my older sister, my aunt come by a lot. There was a similar thing that they all had, which was a lot of strength, a lot of pride, a lot of integrity, and a nice amount of sass and swag, too. I know a lot of kids watch television, but I really felt like I was immersed in it. I watched, like, "A Different World," "The Cosby Show," "Saved By the Bell," "The Fresh Prince." Even though they were multicam sitcom characters, they still felt very honest and real. And I just kind of got lost in all of those different kind of worlds.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LENA WAITHE: Getting a chance to work for all these talented black women, who were just sort of playing hacky sack with me for a couple years, just being the most excited person on set, and having a really great attitude and there being nothing that I would say no to doing, it was really the beginning of my life in scripted television.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LENA WAITHE: I went to New York to talk story ideas with Allen and Aziz and some of the other writers. And in the midst of just having a conversation, Alan asked how I came out. And I proceeded to tell them not thinking it was that interesting. And I got back to my hotel, and they both called me and said, we want to do an episode about that. And Aziz was like, you have to help write it, because it's so specific. And it's your story, and I can't write that by myself.

DENISE: I'm gay.

- You what?

DENISE: I'm gay. I've always been gay, but I'm still the same person. I'm still your daughter.

LENA WAITHE: Telling the coming out story, I had to step in my mother's shoes as well. And I think it actually gave me a greater understanding of what it's like to be come out to. It was about telling an honest story about two people who are trying to figure something out. And I think that's what most coming out stories are. I really wanted people to see the love more than the fear or confusion, and I think they really got it.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LENA WAITHE: My LGBQTIA family, I see each and every one of you. The things that make us different, those are our superpowers. Every day when you walk out the door, put on your imaginary cape and go out there and conquer the world, because the world would not be as beautiful as it is if we weren't in it. I do think the things that make me different are my superpowers, because there is no "Thanksgiving" episode if I wasn't born black, gay, and female.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LENA WAITHE: "The Chi" is about being black and human on the south side of Chicago. It's not about drugs. Nobody's singing or rapping. I was more interested in the middle class, the working class community, because that's what I'm from. When you're a working class person with a dream, it's like a pressure cooker, because every day is a choice to fight the good fight, to chase the dream. I know we're not perfect, but we're not all bad either. There's always these demons that we're wrestling with, and I wanted to show that in a real way. So that way people start to care about these communities and these people that make them up.

I think there's a lot of storytellers that don't look like the storytellers of yesteryear. A lot of young, black, queer, different people that have never been a part of the culture in a mainstream way. That's the way I want to change the business is by helping to usher in new voices. There's still a lot of others who haven't been included yet. And so until everyone is in the room, I think we still have work to do.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LENA WAITHE: I love telling stories. I love writing dialogue. I love creating characters. I love the whole process. I think of it like being an athlete. It's like you don't become Steph Curry, or Michael Jordan, or LeBron James by just doing just enough. You know, it's always about going the extra mile, doing extra practices when everybody else is resting. That's how I really view what I do. I'm never going to be afraid to keep going, even when nobody else believes. I think that's what sort of really guided me through my time when I was sort of coming up and it continues to guide me now.

LENA WAITHE: It definitely took awhile to really land on my feet, while I was trying to find my voice as a writer.

So, I don't know. It's true. It wasn't that bumpy, but there were definitely times where it got to be frustrating, where I thought, well, how much longer do I have to wait until someone really pays attention to my voice, what I'm trying to say?

But, it does, it takes time. You have to really find your niche. You have to find your thing, and just keep working at it until, finally, you write something that people take notice of.

LENA WAITHE: All these things about me that make me unique are the reasons why I'm sitting here right now. And so for me, I really am grateful to all the things that sort of make me an other, because I stand out a little bit more.

Everybody has different things that make them other. It doesn't always mean you're a person of color. You're not always a part of the queer community. You're not always female. But whatever that thing is, I think it is to be embraced, because it gives you a unique perspective and a different vantage point than everyone else.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LENA WAITHE: I don't know if I believe in failures. I think everything is a learning moment, and it's something to grow from. If you have a career where you never fail, it's kind of boring. So I think at some point you've got to take a swing, and do something crazy.

Even if you fall down on your face, it is about the experience. It's about growing as an artist. So I think risks should always be taken. And I think that there's really no such thing as a failure.

LENA WAITHE: I do consider myself a feminist. I've never felt like there was anything I couldn't do because I was a girl or anything like that. I believe that women should be treated like any man on this planet, and it's really about equality.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LENA WAITHE: The best advice I've ever gotten is just to be great. Gina Bythewood said that if anybody ever has questions of like how to be in the business, how to make it in the business, how to succeed, how to do well, is to be great. So, if you're really focusing on always being great, and not as a mantra necessarily, but really just giving everything your all and being super focused, it's hard to fail when you're always striving for greatness.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LENA WAITHE: Mentorship is a big part of my brand, and I think because I can't say I want to change the industry and not be a mentor. It's just really important that I convey how important it is to study the craft, because that's really all that matters.

Yes, there's politics and there's other things that come into play. But if you know your craft really well, it's the one thing that no one can take away from you.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LENA WAITHE: I went to New York to sit with Al and Aziz and all the other writers just to, like, talk story ideas. In the midst of just having a conversation, Alan asked how I came out, and I proceeded to tell them, not thinking that it was that interesting. And I got back to my hotel, and they were like, they both called me and said, we want to do an episode about that.

But Aziz was like, you have to help write it, because it's so specific, and it's your story, and I can't write that by myself. So it was really just a beautiful, perfect storm. I was very open about my experiences, and we-- I was trying to make it funny, because that's what we like to do, but without taking away from story or belittling anything in it.

So when people reacted to it the way they did, it was icing on the cake, because we had already had so much fun making the episode. I felt, you know, really humbled by all of it. Because there's a lot of me's out there, and I think they felt really represented with the episode, which I'm really proud of.